Penn State tries to reach 10 wins, earn Big Ten East title

The second-ranked Buckeyes and No. 8 Nittany Lions each won November 26, sending Penn State to the Big Ten championship game as East Division winners and Ohio State into wait-and-see mode.

As a result, Penn State (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 7 CFP) is set for its biggest game in almost a decade and will face Michigan State (3-8, 1-7) in the regular season finale Saturday with a Big Ten championship, and possibly more, on the line. Depending on the outcomes of the conference title games, there are various scenarios that could see Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State or even Colorado find their way into the playoffs. But the jockeying continues right behind the Crimson Tide and could reach a peak Sunday morning before the Playoff selection committee announces the four-team field. Aside from connotations that still accompany any mention of Penn State football on social media or in barroom conversations, there were severe scholarship limitations and a multi-season bowl ban. All those questions, amid a rugged schedule that included LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska and Iowa, were answered due to a solid defense.

“They have got a good football team and we knew there was going to be some things that we were going to be challenged on, but a lot of it was just us not really executing the assignment”. “To me, it’s always been a year-end game for us”.

“And from that point (a 29-26 win in overtime), we have so much confidence as a team and we show it each Saturday”.

Credit PSU for making it happen, though, and with one more big win in Indianapolis, PSU’s dream season could take it on a cloud to playoff-land. It would be unlike a Mark Dantonio-coached team to simply roll over for anybody, so expect Michigan State to give Penn State a battle. Athletics director Sandy Barbour needed to provide a statement of confidence to a reporter earlier this season.

“We believed in ourselves”, linebacker Jason Cabinda said Saturday, shortly after Penn State clinched the Big Ten East.

If any team would find itself in this position opposite Ohio State and MI, many figured back in September it would be the Spartans.

The loss snapped a 27-game non-conference home winning streak for the GW, which dated back to December 8, 2012. He’s a rare, special talent, and college football fans everywhere-not just those who root for Stanford-hope that he returns for another year rather than turns pro. He’s a true team-first player, who puts as much emphasis on the “student” part of “student-athlete” as he does on the “athlete” part; those qualities radiate off of him.

The Buckeyes (11-1, No. 2 CFP) would be at the mercy of the committee if Penn State wins, but the chairman already has said Ohio State has the better resume.

Covers Penn State and Big Ten.

How about we settle the Big Ten coach-of-the-year debate on the field?

Penn State finished the regular season 10-2 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play after the victory over the Spartans.

Barkley has tallied 216 carries for 1,205 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016.

The Big Ten reprimanded MI coach Jim Harbaugh and fined the school $10,000 on Monday for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy by criticizing officials after the Ohio State game. “That’s going to hurt us because he’s been giving us really quality minutes”, Chambers said.